Vacations
by shiiki
Summary: Thalia returns. (Post-script to the Curse of Lethe universe; not ToA-compliant. Certain details probably won't make sense if you haven't read CoL.)


**A/N:** This fic started off as some random notes following a review I got on CoL—yes, waaaaay long ago, and it actually took me ages to track down that comment again because by the time I got back to this fic, I'd forgotten who had said it and on which chapter! But I found it, and it was a review from **Latiwings** : _That, and I want to see how you handle her reaction when Thalia resigns as a Huntress for her (Poor Reyna, who everyone leaves TT-TT)_.

I wrote like 500 words of it, but then got distracted by a bunch of other stuff and forgot it existed, but then when I was re-organising my WIP folder, I remembered and thought, hey, there isn't enough of these two out there, so I'd better finish writing this. Also I need fluff right now. So much fluff. So thanks for the inspiration, **Latiwings** , and enjoy the Theyna!

Big thanks to **Athenachild101** for Ameri-picking help! Before her, this was going to be called 'holidays', but I've learnt that you guys across the pond don't use that word the same way.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

 **Vacations**

(a companion piece to _Curse of Lethe_ )

 _for all of you who wanted to see how Thalia and Reyna's story 'ended'!_

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

One of the perks of leaving the legion is vacations.

Reyna can't even remember the last time she took one. Sure, she's travelled the country—to the Forbidden Lands, even—but none of that really counts as a vacation when you're running for your life from monsters and losing your dearest companion (her heart still aches when she thinks of Scipio) and trying to transport a holy-mother-of-Mars statue across the Atlantic before war breaks out. The closest she's ever come to vacation time was visiting Hylla and the Amazons in Seattle, but even that was mostly business: discussions of alliances, inventories, and boundaries.

At least until the Hunters showed up on similar business.

And even then, she only got the tiniest whiff of a vacation feel when Thalia convinced her to sneak away for coffee— _best coffee in Seattle, I promise_ —and it turned out to be absolutely weak Minotaur-dung Reyna couldn't even finish, but she laughed so hard over Thalia's dismayed face when she realised, with all her Hunter-tracking skills, she'd still managed to get lost and end up at _La Moroccan_ instead of _La Marzocco_.

 _'It's all your fault, you distracted me!'_

 _Don't think about that,_ she orders herself. She's lying on a beach in Cancún, for crying out loud. She's supposed to be enjoying the sun and sea and sky and getting a tan that will be the envy of all the lily-white new centurions back at camp. She's with her friends on Tristan McLean's private island (who in Pluto even has a private island these days?!) to chill at winter break ( _girls only,_ Piper insisted, _we're ditching the guys for a couple of days,_ and Reyna guesses it might be in consideration of her feelings, as the only unattached girl in their group). She's nineteen and a college student and free and she's not supposed to be brooding.

But she hasn't seen Thalia since the Festusmobile dropped her off in Seattle.

' _Artemis's given me until the Winter Solstice to make my decision,_ ' Thalia said. ' _I—well, I don't want to make any promises, but …_ '

' _Go,_ ' Reyna said. ' _Do what you have to. I get it._ '

And she does, she really does. Thalia's decision to leave the Hunters or remain as their lieutenant has to be premised on _Thalia's_ own needs. How can Reyna not respect the right of a woman to make a choice for themselves, one that's not based on the desires of anyone else, or contingent on the existence of a relationship?

After all, _she's_ never defined herself by the men who liked her or not. She's Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, praetor of New Rome (once a praetor, always a praetor, right?) and veteran of two legendary wars. Reyna has never needed someone to complete her.

If Thalia leaves the Hunters, it won't just be in search of someone to _complete_ her.

Reyna definitely respects Thalia all the more for that.

But it also makes her want Thalia even more. Not just as her 'better half'. No, screw that notion. Reyna and Thalia have always been on equal footing. Thalia understands that Reyna never wanted to dominate anyone else, man or woman, but to stand on equal footing with them.

Thalia sees her as an equal.

The shrieks of Piper, Hazel, and Annabeth pierce Reyna's reverie. Piper's been teaching to surf; Annabeth is reasonably good at it, but Hazel's a disaster, wiping out on every baby wave Piper coaxes her to stand on.

'Reyna!' Piper yells. 'Enough sunning—get over here, it's your turn!'

'Coming!' she yells back. For some reason, Annabeth clamps a hand over Piper's mouth and drags her under the surface. Piper splashes into the shallows with a yelp.

A shadow falls over Reyna.

She blinks.

There must be sun spots in her eyes or something, because the pale face staring down at her is so out of place against the bright sunshine and cloudless blue skies. This is a face that goes with moonlight and storms and lightning arcing across a tempestuous sky and electrifying every nerve ending in her skin when those intense blue eyes stare straight into hers.

Reyna pushes herself abruptly into a sitting position.

'Hey,' Thalia says.

Her eyes drift to the crown of Thalia's head. The silver circlet that has always adorned her spiky hair is conspicuous in its absence.

Can it be?

Reyna's heart is a battering ram against her chest as she replies, 'Hey.'

 _Calm down,_ she tells herself. _It may not be what you think._ Even if Thalia left the Hunters, it doesn't necessarily mean she's going to start something with Reyna. _No promises._

She draws on years of practice at keeping her composure in a tricky situation to help her stay calm and collected. 'You're doing the ageing thing, then?' she says lightly.

Thalia mirrors her flippant tone. 'Yeah, thought it might be time for a change.' She scrunches up her forehead. 'Maybe I'll actually get wrinkles now.'

'Join the crowd.'

Thalia glances towards the surf, where the splashing and shrieking from the other girls has halted. Reyna can see them paddling out again on their surfboards.

'I'd rather join _you,_ ' Thalia says. 'If you don't mind.'

The crash of the waves against the shore intensifies as Thalia takes a seat next to her, so close that their thighs are practically touching. Or maybe that's the sound of her own blood rushing in her ears.

'When you say … _join me,_ what exactly do you mean?' After all, there's plenty of things Thalia could have in mind. Join Reyna in New Rome? At college? Or just sitting right here on the beach for now? Reyna wishes she could be surer, but she's held this open dance card too many times.

Thalia puts a hand on the back of Reyna's neck, drawing her closer. There's no brief moment of hesitation, no bubble of romantic anticipation hovering in the space before Thalia closes the gap between their lips. Thalia kisses the way she does everything else: intense, stormy, and charged with electricity. It makes Reyna think of sparring, of wrestling, of adrenaline surging through her veins, making her whole body tingle.

It makes her feel alive.

It's not how she envisioned her first kiss. No … it's better. This kiss is confident and sure, like the seal on a contract, a Styx-bound oath.

'No,' Reyna murmurs, 'I most certainly don't mind.'

Thalia's fingers run down Reyna's bare arms, making goosebumps erupt along her skin. 'Thank the gods,' she says. 'Because it'd mess up my plans a bit if you said no.'

'Just a bit?'

'Well, I like the idea of being one half of a _podex_ -kicking female demigod duo, but I'm sure I could manage on my own if I really had to.'

Reyna laughs. 'I'm sure you could. But _podex_ -kicking female demigod duo sounds good to me.'

The sound of whistles and hooting drift up from the surf, where Annabeth, Hazel, and Piper are watching them in delight. Reyna jumps to her feet and pulls Thalia up with her.

'Come on. Let's start with kicking some _podices_ on the waves.'


End file.
